What happens?
Dorothy is a happy girl who lives in Kansas with Uncle Henry and Aunt Em. She loves playing with Toto, her little black dog. One day a cyclone approached. Uncle Henry went to look after the animals and Aunt Em sheltered in the cellar. Dorothy had to find Toto first. The house spun a few times then rose into the air inside the cyclone.
Have a think ..
Take a moment to think about these questions:
Uncle Henry went to check on the animals while Aunt Em went into the cellar. What do you think happened to Uncle Henry?
Imagine if your house was carried away by the wind with you inside it? Would you feel calm?
Focus on … tornadoes
In chapter 1, Dorothy and Toto are whirled away inside a tornado (Uncle Henry and Aunt Em call it a cyclone).
Find out more
Watch this video to find out more about tornadoes.
Challenge yourself!
Could you make your own tornado? Look at tornadoes in our More to Explore list below for some ideas, or come up with your own. Take photos or video and share with your School Librarian after the summer.
More to explore
More to read
These books should be available through your secondary school librarian. If we’ve found a free version online, we’ve added the link after each book.
The house with chicken legs by Sophie Anderson is about a house that moves by itself
Stormy weather by Anita Ganeri is a collection of funny facts and stories about all sorts of weather, not just tornadoes.
I enjoyed chapter one of the story and I could imagine what the area looked like. I think Uncle Henry and Aunt Em worked hard and didn’t have much time for fun. Uncle Henry might have been caught in the cyclone with the other animals. If my house was caught by a cyclone with me inside I would definitely not feel calm.
Hi Adrianna and welcome to Oz!
I hope Uncle Henry escaped with the other animals though!
There are lots of challenges for chapter 1 – you can explore more about tornadoes/cyclones, prairies, Toto or old fashioned weather forecasting. You can choose to explore all of them, bits of them or none of them. It’s totally up to you. Have fun 🙂
I enjoyed chapter one and I’m looking forward to reading chapter two.
I hope Uncle Henry and the animals got out safely but I think they might have been caught In the cyclone. Even though his character seems to be stern and solemn I think he showed bravery going out to the barn to help the animals first before himself.
If my house was being swept away with me inside I would definitely find it hard to stay calm and not panic. At least Dorothy had Toto to keep her company in the cellar. 🙂
I think that Uncle Henry got caught in the cyclone 🌪 while he was running back to the cellar. I hope his live stock survived 🤞. You never know maybe Uncle Henry found a way back into the house.
If I were carried away by the wind I would first of all probably have the feeling of shock but then I think this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and the I should fulfil my life to its potential.